


Seven Years of Bad Luck

by the_technicolor_whiscash



Series: Smoke and Mirrors [5]
Category: Mystery Science Theater 3000
Genre: Acknowledgement of feelings, F/M, Mirrorverse AU, That’s right eddy boy is making an appearance, an actual boat ship, kinga dealing with Stuff, multiverse au, no not relationship ship, tall ship au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-29
Updated: 2017-11-29
Packaged: 2019-02-08 11:55:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,531
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12863997
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/the_technicolor_whiscash/pseuds/the_technicolor_whiscash
Summary: Kinga is desperately trying to find a solution as to why they keep travelling in-between universes, when she ends up in the worst possible universe: the one where she’s the captain of a ship





	Seven Years of Bad Luck

**Author's Note:**

> I love boats. Like, I really, really love boats. Boats are my jam.   
> Shoutout to my beta reader, speccygeekgrrl!

Kinga leaned her elbows on her desk and sighed. For the last few hours, she had been plugging away at her computer, trying to find out anything she could about why and how they kept slipping into other universes. No scientific paper even confirmed the existence of other universes, matter transference devices, or the like. She was stuck. This couldn’t have just been a situation that only ever happened to them, could it?

She knew that it had happened in the past, when her father had sent Mike Nelson a matter transference device. But according to Servo, it only sent him and Gypsum into a different universe, and it reversed right back and never happened again. Which made absolutely no sense at all, given their current situation. But it might give her some insight into it. 

She knew her father had kept records of all of his experiments, but she had no idea where, so she sent a text to the only other person who might have a clue: Max.

–(Queen of All Media) Yo. Max. You there?

–(SecondBanana) Of course, Your Kinganess

–(Queen of All Media) Have any idea where my dad’s records of his experiments might be?

–(SecondBanana) No, but I know who might

–(Queen of All Media) Don’t tell me it’s Grandma Pearl

–(SecondBanana) It’s Grandma Pearl.

Kinga audibly sighed. She loved her grandmother, and looked up to her like almost no one else on earth, but she could be a real piece of work. And she was also incredibly hard to track down. Unless Pearl wanted to be found, she would disappear off into space with Bobo and Brain Guy in her Volkswagen Spaceship. Kinga didn’t even know if she had a cell phone. But occasionally, Pearl did turn up unannounced, so she would probably just have to wait and see.

Kinga stood up and stretched her arms over her head, cracking her joints. After a quick glance at the clock, she realized just how late it was getting. She should probably head to bed and get a fresh start on this whole issue in the morning. And she would definitely have to tell Jonah and the Bots that she hadn’t found anything. Though they were still merely subjects in her experiment, they were dealing with the same thing she was. It was beneficial to compare notes and try to find a solution. Plus, she was starting to actually like the crew of the Satellite of Love. They could all be irritating sometimes, sure, but they were funny, and Jonah, at least, was nice. 

As she laid down to sleep, she continued thinking about the man she had trapped up on the Satellite. Yes, he certainly wasn’t as awful as she first thought he was. But he was too nice. It was like, the only thing he could insult was a bad movie. He was nice almost to a fault. 

She could kind of understand how in every other universe, they ended up together. Because even she couldn’t deny that he was at least a little cute. And tall. He was incredibly tall. So tall she almost preferred to talk to him on a screen because it neglected their immense height difference. Seeing him up close and personal was almost overwhelming. She imagined it would be what it might be like to meet George Washington. 

—————

Of course, when Kinga woke up, she wasn’t greeted by her room’s comforting purple wallpaper and green lava lamp nightlight. No, she seemed to be on a boat. In the middle of the ocean. 

Which didn’t help the fact that she also happened to get seasick every time she so much as stepped foot on a boat.

She hopped out of bed and dashed out the door of her small room, only to be immediately doused in blinding sunlight. She blinked hard a few times, adjusting to the light before assessing her surroundings. She was definitely on a boat. It was a big wooden sailing ship, probably one of the ones that visits tall ship festivals on the coast. It was actually a pretty nice boat, but she soon felt her stomach churn. And so she ran to the starboard side and abruptly threw up. 

“Captain Forrester?” A familiar voice said concernedly from behind her. “Are you alright?”

Captain? Oh, god. No. She couldn’t seriously be the captain of a sailing ship. Though it would explain why her bedroom was right accessing the deck. “Uh, yeah, yeah, I’m fine. Food poisoning, I think.”

“Really? Huh. I don’t think anyone else got it.”

“Well, maybe it only affects me.” She growled. She was getting tired of whoever this was butting into her business. She turned towards them, intent on telling them to bug off, when she realized who it was. “Oh. It’s you.”

A confused (and slightly tan) Jonah Heston raised an eyebrow. “Yep. First mate Jonah Heston. As always. Need anything?”

So he was her first mate, and she was the captain. Lovely. And it definitely wasn’t her universe’s Jonah. It looked like she would have to figure this one out on her own. “Nothing, Heston. Just leave me be for now.”

He looked a little hurt, but complied. “Alright. We’re still on course to land in Boston in three days. Holler if you need anything.”

He left just as cheerily as he had arrived. Even in this universe, Jonah’s kindness infuriated Kinga. How was anyone allowed to be so sweet? 

Kinga stumbled her way back to her cabin and slammed the door behind her, collapsing back into bed. The change of scene made her stomach no less queasy, but at least it prevented her from having to talk to anyone she might know. 

This sucked. She had no idea how to be the captain of a ship, and she hated boats. Maybe this was what Jonah felt like when he found himself as a private investigator. But a private investigator isn’t responsible for the lives of everyone on a large sailing ship. 

She would have to tell someone about this. There was literally no way she could do this without asking for help, no matter how humiliating it may be. She sat up and racked her brain for who might have appeared in this universe with her, or who in this universe might be willing to listen. However, she soon didn’t have to, because help came knocking at her door. 

“Captain? Can I talk to you for a moment?” A voice said from the other side of the door. It was a voice she knew, but she couldn’t put a face to a name. 

Quickly, she got up and sat down at the small desk in the room, making it look like she was intently writing a letter and not trying to keep her bile down. “Yes, enter.”

A bonehead entered, but not one who she was entirely familiar with. He had tousled black hair, which looked permanently windswept. His eyes were tired, and he definitely didn’t look happy. “Captain Forrester, I need to request some time off from my duties.”

“Remind me of your name again?”

“Ed. The cook.”

“Well, Ed, can I ask you why you need some time off?”

“I… don’t really know how to answer that in a way you’ll believe.”

Kinga frowned. “Wait. Are you from another universe?”

Ed looked surprised. “Yeah, how’d you know?”

“So am I. Thank god. If you haven’t guessed, I have no idea how to be the captain of a ship.”

“I work in the galley, so it’s not like I don’t know how to do the work. I just don’t know what I’m supposed to be cooking, or what anyone on this boat is like.”

“Well, I know Jonah is my first mate, which is weird. Anything beyond that I don’t know. I’ve been too busy barfing to investigate.”

Ed raised an eyebrow. “You get seasick?”

“Terribly. Promise not to tell anyone when we get back to our universe? Because if you do I’ll be forced to kill you.”

“No problem, your evilness. Your secret is safe with me.” There was a sparkle in his eye that said that her secret was probably not entirely safe. But Ed seemed at least slightly trustworthy. If she remembered correctly, he was one of the only cooks she didn’t send to work at the Moon 14 Mesozoic Ranch Barbecue (and subsequently get eaten by dinosaurs). 

“So. Ed. Have any idea how to captain a ship?”

“None at all. Maybe try the big wheely thing up on the deck.”

“Yes, so I can steer our boat right into a rock. I love being captain.”

Ed sighed. “Mind if I speak freely?”

“Nothing seems to have stopped you before.”

“Ma’am, I’m not normally one for being optimistic, but this might be a nice change of pace. Sunlight and the wide open ocean instead of being cooped up on the Moon all day. Maybe we should take this to our advantage.”

“It’s a lovely thought, Ed, but you seem to forget that I’m allergic to boats.”

Ed seemed to notice that the conversation was turning to a close. “If you don’t know what to do, you should probably talk to Jonah. He might not understand this whole universe-hopping problem, but I’m sure he’d be willing to help.”

Kinga groaned. “Can’t I just talk to one of the Bots?”

“Unless you wanna climb up to the Crow’s Nest, no.”

“Are they really in the Crow’s Nest.”

“Yep. Saw them up there when I was walking over here. They really are odd little things.”

“I actually kind of like them. A little weird, admittedly.”

“You do you, cap’n. I’m gonna head back to the galley and see what food I have to work with.”

“Alright. Talk to me if anyone else from our universe shows up.”

“Yeah, no problem.” As Ed was leaving, he paused. “I wonder if I’ll ever get dropped into a universe where I work at a fine Parisian bakery. That would be great.”

Kinga frowned. “Hold on. You’ve been in other universes before?”

“Yeah. First time was real weird, but I’ve gotten used to it. I run into Max sometimes. He’s fun.”

“Does this affect all of Moon 13?”

“Only select people, I think. I know it’s happened with a few other boneheads, and Max, and now you, but I don’t know about who else. Lot of times we don’t end up in the same universe as you or Jonah, and in most universes, our jobs are still the same, so there’s not much to worry about. Occasionally there’ll be a fun one, like this one, that makes it a little hard to find out what you’re supposed to be doing.”

This just kept getting weirder and weirder. “That’s exactly what’s been happening to me, and Jonah, and the Bots. How come you’ve never brought it up?”

“I work in the kitchen. I don’t exactly get a lot of one on one talking in with the boss. At least, not when I’m doing my job right.”

“You’re right, that’s probably a good thing.” 

“Well, catch you later, boss. Or, Captain Forrester.”

Ed left, and Kinga rolled her eyes. She had no idea that any of her boneheads had a personality, much less ambitions or a sense of humor (however dry). Maybe it would be beneficial to take the time to get to know some of them. Or not. They seemed to have their own weird sort of society, from what she could tell. They might not exactly welcome their boss/creator. 

Kinga was content with remaining in her office pondering this, but her stomach was not. She looked around for a garbage can of any kind, but for some reason, there were none, so she was forced to return to her previous spot on the starboard side to hurl up whatever this universe’s version of her had had for dinner.

“Jesus.” She said, as she turned around and leaned her back on the railing, closing her eyes. The wind from the sea felt good in her face. Maybe Ed was right. This wasn’t the worst place she could’ve ended up in. And besides, she wouldn’t have to be here forever. A few days at most. 

“You sure you’re alright, Captain?”

Kinga opened her eyes and came face to face with Jonah. Of course it had to be him. “I’m fine. Just sick is all. I’m sure I’ll be better in an hour or two.”

Jonah smiled. “You’ve never been very good at taking care of yourself. Why don’t you go lay down? I can take care of the ship.”

“Yes. Good idea. You do that.”

Without another word, she stumbled back to her cabin, flopped down in bed, and fell asleep. She didn’t know how long she had been out, but when she awoke, her stomach had settled some. She wasn’t quite hungry, but she knew she would need some form of food to survive, so she left her cabin, only to be greeted by darkness. How long had she been out? The stars twinkled above her, and most of the crew was in bed by this point. The sound of the ocean lapping against the ship would have been peaceful if it didn’t make her so sick. 

Kinga soon realized that she had no idea where the galley was. She would have to ask someone, much to her chagrin. Luckily, Jonah was standing at the wheel of the ship, quietly whistling a tune. 

“Hey.” Kinga said awkwardly as she approached. “So I have kind of a weird question.”

Jonah raised an eyebrow. “What kind of weird? Zombie apocalypse weird, or robot kink weird?”

“Well, it’s neither of those. Basically, I need to know where the galley is.”

“You don’t know? Haven’t you been living on this ship for months?”

Kinga sighed. She didn’t want to do this, but she would have to. “Alright, listen up, because I’m only gonna tell this story once. Basically, I’m not the Kinga Forrester you know. I’m the Kinga from a different universe. I have no idea how to act as captain of a ship. I’m bullshitting it right now. I actually get incredibly seasick, which is why I’ve been vomiting off of the side of the boat.”

“You’re right. That is weird.” He clearly saw her roll her eyes. “But I can believe it. You did seem a little weird earlier. I’ve never seen you hurl overboard before.” 

“Good. Glad you believe me. Now, where’s the galley? I need to eat.”

“Down the stairs, down the hall, last door on your left. Though I’m warning you, if Ed catches you stealing food…”

“Oh, don’t worry about Ed. He’s from my universe too.”

“He is?”

“Yep.” She started to walk off, but paused. “Uh, I’m gonna need you to steer the ship for a while until, y’know, this universe’s me comes back.”

“No problem. Though if you ever want to learn, I’d be happy to teach you.”

Kinga didn’t know why, but she found herself blushing. She was glad for the darkness of the night. “Thanks but no thanks. Boats still make me incredibly queasy.”

“That’s really weird, you know. You being seasick, while this universe’s you loves being on the water. Sometimes I swear you would never go to shore if you didn’t have to.”

She could sort of see why. But instead of responding, Kinga headed off towards the galley. It was exactly where Jonah had said it would be. After locating a packet of saltines and a can of soda, she retreated back up to the main deck. Instead of heading back into her cabin, she went to the stern end of the ship, behind where Jonah was steering, and sat down on some crates. The sea air seemed to be helping her stomach a little, and she quietly munched away at the saltines. 

A silence had built up that Jonah broke after some time. “So I guess your universe is a lot different from this one.”

“Yeah. You could say that. In mine, I’m an evil scientist, and you’re… well, you’re my test subject.”

Jonah chuckled. He took that better than she thought he would. “You know, I can kind of see that. Evil scientist you. I mean, you did dress up as Dr Frankenstein last year for Halloween. Not Frankenstein’s monster, but the doctor himself.”

“Huh. I guess some things don’t change across universes. That was my Halloween costume in my universe too.”

“So you’re an evil scientist who dressed up as an evil scientist?”

“Why not?”

“Good point.” Jonah seemed to be deeply rooted in finding out more about Kinga at this point. “You and I never really talked much. This universe’s you, I mean. Sure, I’m your first mate, but you’re not exactly the conversing type.”

“I’m just not big on sharing personal stuff is all. There’s not really a ton of people who I can trust with that information.”

“Well, we’re friends, aren’t we?”

Kinga leaned her head back against the railing of the ship. “God, I don’t know. In my universe, we’re basically enemies, but in every other universe, we’re either best friends or dating. Makes things a lot more confusing.”

“We’re not dating in this universe, if it makes you feel any better.” A pause. “Though I can’t say I would be opposed to it. I’ve kind of got a huge crush on you. Figure since technically you’re the you from another universe, I can tell you that without you slapping me or anything.”

Kinga found herself smiling against her will. “She wouldn’t slap you. I’m sure of it. And I’m sure she thinks you’re cute.”

“H… how do you know?”

“Because, that sort of thing doesn’t change across universes.” She closed her eyes. She should probably have stopped talking a while back, but at this point, she had already said too much. Plus, there was no risk in telling him, when this wasn’t her universe’s Jonah. “Even I think you’re cute. Or my universe’s you. Or something. I don’t know. It gets confusing.” 

She couldn’t see his face, but his voice betrayed that the man was grinning. “That’s great. So, like, when my universe’s you comes back, should I tell her how I feel?”

“Go for it, you big goof.” Kinga dragged a hand down her face. “God, I hate myself.”

“Why?”

“Why? Because, I’m an evil scientist, and I’ve fallen in love with this adorable dope who I’ve been keeping prisoner in a Satellite! That’s not supposed to happen! Do you know how weird that is? It’s like, reverse Stockholm syndrome or something! I’ve done everything I can to try to hate him, or you, or whatever, but the more I try the more I can’t avoid it!” She slid down on the boxes, until she was lying across them. “This wasn’t supposed to happen.” 

“Maybe it was.”

“What do you mean?”

“You said it yourself, these things don’t change across universes. Maybe in every universe you’re destined to fall in love with me.”

“No. That’s bullshit. That’s like something out of a d-rank fantasy romance novel.”

“You don’t have to put it like that if you don’t want to, but it seems like that’s what’s happening. A scientific explanation to your emotions.”

“But you see, it’s not an explanation. I don’t even know why I’m hopping through different universes in the first place! I don’t know how the hell i got here.” Kinga bolted to her feet and began pacing. “I don’t know how I got here, I don’t know what I’m supposed to be doing, I don’t know what sort of fucked-up science ended up bending the walls of the different universes to let my consciousness through, and most importantly, I don’t know why it’s you of all people who I have to fall in love with. I mean, no offense, but we are like polar opposites. Even in this universe, it seems like we’re really different.”

“They do say that opposites attract. But I don’t know, I think it’s a different reason.”

“Please, I’m all ears.”

“You don’t want someone who cares about what you are, you want someone who cares about _who_ you are. As a person. That kind of thing.”

Kinga paused in her tracks. “You might just be right about that.” She walked up beside Jonah, and he turned to look at her. “Then how come there’s no one else in the world who’ll do that for me?”

“Maybe in each universe, the same people end up together.”

“That could be. My dad always seems to end up with TV’s Frank.”

Jonah raised an eyebrow. “I have no idea what that’s about, and something tells me I want to hear about that story.”

“It’s long and confusing, and you should probably ask this universe’s me about it later since some of the details might change between universes.”

“I’ll definitely ask you. Or her. However the whole trans-universal thing works.”

“Yeah, I need to come up with some better phrasing or I think I’ll go insane trying to keep track of it.” Kinga found herself smiling again. She realized just how long they had been staring at each other. “Don’t you, uh, have to focus on steering the ship?”

“We’ll be going straight for a while. I can afford to look away for a minute or two.” An idea crossed Jonah’s face. “Want me to teach you how to steer?”

“Oh, well, I don’t know, I mean, I’ve tried to avoid boats all my life, and really when am I ever gonna use it.” She rambled. 

“Come on. It’ll be fun.” 

After a moment, she succumbed. “Fine. But don’t expect me to be good.”

“You’re just starting out. I know you won’t be good. But I think you’ll find you’ve got a knack for it.”

“Sure, Heston. Just teach me how to steer.”

He took a step back, and she replaced him in front of the big wooden steering wheel. It was much larger up close, and a little intimidating. 

She held back a gasp when Jonah reached from behind her and guided her hands to the correct spots on the wheel. He kept his hands over hers, and she could hear his quiet breathing in her ear. 

“It’s not too hard. It’s just a matter of keeping the wheel steady, and when you’re turning, you need to make sure not to turn too hard. It’s like driving an eighteen wheeler, except it’s four of them all stacked together with giant sails and no easily accessible breaks.”

“So nothing like driving an eighteen wheeler.”

“Not really, but I was looking for a comparison. Now, to turn right, or, to the starboard side, you gently turn the wheel like this.”

Leading her hands like a delicate ballet, they turned the wheel, slowly turning the giant ship towards the right.

“And then to turn it to the left, or port, you turn it like this.” 

Another turn. It did seem pretty easy, and Jonah probably didn’t need to have his hands over hers like that, but god did she appreciate it.

“See? Easy.” He released her hands and took a step back, and Kinga almost whispered. “Now you try.”

Kinga took a deep breath as she gripped the wheel tighter than before. Slowly, she turned it to starboard, then to port, and then tried to make sure the wheel was straight. 

“Is that good?” She asked, glancing over her shoulder. 

Jonah beamed. “Great! Now, with time you get more used to the ship and how she moves. But I take it you probably don’t want to spend any more time doing this than necessary.”

Kinga smiled. “You know, I actually kind of like this. It’s not as bad as I thought it would be.” And it didn’t help that she had an adorable teacher. 

“See? I told you you would like it. You need to learn to believe me more often, Captain Forrester.”

“I’ll try, First Mate Heston.” 

The thought hit her like a ton of bricks. The realization that this wasn’t her Jonah. And she wasn’t his Kinga. As sweet and charming as this Jonah was, she was leading him on. Because he wasn’t the Jonah that she had a raging crush on. Even if he had Jonah’s face. And hands, which were incredibly smooth and delightful considering the fact that he worked on a boat. And personality. And butt, which she certainly hadn’t thought to examine. 

“I’m sorry, I have to go.” Kinga said, before heading off towards her cabin.

“Kinga? Wait, was it something I said?” 

Kinga knew that Jonah sounded distressed, but she didn’t bother turning around. She went right into her cabin, slammed the door, and laid down hard on her bed. She took a few minutes to regulate her breathing before she even dared to think about the situation again. 

This was Jonah. A Jonah. Not her Jonah. Not the Jonah she was looking for. One that was incredibly like him in almost every aspect, but not exactly. For one, he lived on a boat. Her Jonah did not live on a boat. And as far as she knew, her Jonah had no idea how to steer a tall ship. As weirdly hot as that might have been. 

No. She couldn’t afford herself to think like that. Not when she hadn’t even told her universe’s Jonah how she felt about him. And at this point, she doubted if she ever would. Because yes, she was deeply and irreparably in love with him, but he also probably wouldn’t believe it. Especially after the wedding stunt. He would also most definitely not want to date the person who had kept him captive on a spaceship for months. Even if those months had been broken up by time spent in other universes. 

She just… she couldn’t tell him. It was ok telling this universe’s version of him, since he couldn’t exactly text her Jonah, but she just couldn’t. It was for the best, for everyone. Well, mainly for her. But the logistics didn’t really matter. She was not going to tell him that she had a crush on him so big that it was almost a tangible object. But she wasn’t going to deny it either. She definitely had a crush on him. Even if he was out of reach.

—————

She awoke to the sound of yelling and screaming on deck. Immediately, she jumped out of bed and ran out of her cabin to assess the situation. And the situation didn’t look good. A massive storm surrounded them, pouring buckets of rain on deck. The seas looked like they were being put through a blender, and lightning struck far too close for comfort. 

She ran up to the wheel, where Jonah was still steering. He looked as though he were wrestling with the wheel, and the wheel didn’t want to move. 

“Jonah! What’s happening?” She yelled as she approached him. 

“Storm overtook us overnight! I tried to steer us away, but it came in too fast. At this point we’ll just have to wait and see what nature has in store for us.”

“We can’t just try and sail away?”

“The winds are too violent, they would break our masts or tip us over entirely. We’ve just gotta hope it’ll blow over soon.”

Kinga looked out over the crew frantically dashing about the deck. They were tying things down, roping things up, and making sure nothing would fly overboard. “Isn’t there anything I can do to help?”

“No, unless you can somehow stop a thunderstorm.”

Suddenly, on the starboard side, a massive wave appeared and slammed into the ship. Kinga was thrown to the ground, as were a number of the bonehead crew. 

“Shit!” She said, as she stumbled to her feet. Her stomach became overwhelmed by the tossing and turning, and she ran to the edge of the deck and threw up. 

“Captain! Maybe you should go back inside!” Jonah yelled from behind her. 

“No. If there’s a chance that I can help, I will. I may have no idea what I’m doing, but if we die out here, I want to die knowing that at least I tried to do something.” She made her way back to beside the wheel, gripping the railing for dear life. 

“We’re not going to die. At least, I don’t think we will. There’s like an 85% chance we won’t die.”

Kinga sighed. “We’re going to die.”

Seeming to reassure her suspicions, lightning struck the ocean about twenty feet away. Kinga found herself no longer clutching the railing, but clutching Jonah’s arm. 

Jonah surveyed the choppy landscape. “Hold on, I think I might see where it ends.”

“Really? Where?”

“Over on the port bow, way over that way. I can try to steer us over there.”

“Sounds like a long shot, but I’ll take anything at this point.”

Jonah tried to turn the wheel, but it wouldn’t budge. After a few more unfruitful tries, he took a step back. “The damn thing won’t move. Waters are too choppy.”

“Well, how about if both of us turn it at the same time.”

“That… might just work. Alright, you take the left side, I’ll take the right. On three, we turn.”

Kinga gripped her side of the wheel and nodded. “Got it.”

“Ok. One… two… three!”

On three, Kinga pushed as hard as she could on the wheel. After a second, it began to turn, prompting the ship towards the edge of the storm.

“We did it. Oh my god. We actually did it.” Kinga muttered. 

“Well, we still have to make it through the storm. But it looks like we now have a 90% chance of not dying.”

“Wow, you’re making it almost too exciting.”

“I try. I try.”

They managed to cruise through the rest of the storm unharmed, and Kinga found herself smiling, if not soaking wet. 

“You know, as terrifying as that was, it was actually pretty cool.”

Jonah smiled in return. “I guess life on a boat is pretty cool after all, huh.”

“Yes, you’re right, it is pretty cool. I mean, I can’t say I would want to live here permanently, but it’s definitely not the worst place to call home.”

“That’s good enough for me.” 

They fell into silence. It wasn’t necessarily awkward, but it also wasn’t ideal. And so Kinga suddenly remembered the fact that she was completely soaking wet from the rain. 

“I’m gonna go put on some dry clothes.” She said. “Be back in a few.”

She headed off towards her cabin, and upon entering, she sighed happily. Being on a boat really wasn’t so bad after all. Especially when your first mate is cute and knowledgeable on the subject of boats. She wouldn’t mind spending more time in this universe. Getting to know this Jonah better, and maybe even some of the crew. She didn’t know how Ed was faring, but that didn’t really matter to her at that point. Yes, she could definitely get used to spending more time on a boat. She was already starting to get past her seasickness. 

She closed her eyes and smiled. 

Then, she felt a sensation. A sensation she knew all too well. Something that meant that when she opened her eyes, she would no longer be on a boat. 

She already noticed the absence of the waves lapping against the ship, and the gentle rocking of the deck. When she opened her eyes, her suspicions were confirmed. She was back on Moon 13, in her room, sitting at her desk. 

“Damnit.” She muttered, abruptly standing up. “Damnit! Why can’t I just have nice things for once? Why can’t I just be happy?” 

She slammed back down into her chair, burying her head in her hands. Interrupting her distress was a knock on the door. 

“Whoever it is, go away! I’m busy!”

“Uh, your evilness, it’s Ed. Probably figured you should know that I’m back in our regular universe.”

“Yes, Ed, I’m well aware of that. Just leave me be.”

“Right, right. I’m leavin.” 

Kinga immediately regretted shooing him away. She wanted someone to talk to, and Ed could have been that person. Though Ed didn’t exactly seem like the kind of person who you tell your problems to. And she couldn’t very well talk to Max, because if he knew about her feelings for Jonah, he would either snap or cry. And she couldn’t tell Jonah himself, because, well, just because. 

She laid her head on her desk, festering in her thoughts. This wasn’t how an evil scientist was supposed to act. She was supposed to be stoic and mean and a total jerk to nice people. And she had done that pretty well, up until this whole universe-hopping thing started. She was turning soft. Her heart ached. 

She had to figure out why this was even happening. If she couldn’t put a stop to it, she could end up jumping from universe to universe indefinitely. And as neat as it may have been the first few times, she was getting pretty damn tired of it.

**Author's Note:**

> Next time, on Smoke and Mirrors: Pearl makes an appearance, and Kinga grills her for information. I haven’t worked out anything more than that so far but we’ll see.


End file.
